The proper health of feet and toes is vitally important to the overall quality and enjoyment of life. Foot and toe bone structure and malformation are the result of a combination of hereditary design, daily use, and age. In some instances, the constant use of ill-fitted shoes results in unnatural forces on certain portions of the feet and toes. In extreme cases, improper toe position or confinement will result in loss of blood circulation, which may lead to gangrene and/or amputation. Therefore the use of devices that passively manipulate the feet and toes to counteract any harmful forces are beneficial to the overall health of the human body.
Foot and toe ailments are common. The severity of such ailments can increase over time. A common foot and toe ailment is a bunion. A bunion is when the big toe of one or both feet becomes gradually malformed such that it angles inward towards the second toe and presses up against the second toe causing foot pain. A common treatment for a bunion is to insert a toe spacer in between the big toe and the second toe thus reducing the pressure and friction caused by the malformed toes. As a foot and toe pain relief product, the toe spacer is part of a group that includes products such as toe separators, bunion splints, toe guards, etc. These types of treatments are either worn only during waking hours under the wearer's footwear (toe spacer), or worn only during sleeping hours (bunion splint).
The period of sleep is one of the most advantageous periods during which assistive devices can be utilized to improve the health of a person. In particular, while sleeping, the feet and toes of an individual are usually exposed and not confined by footwear. Also, during the period of sleep in the privacy of an individual's home, the use of a toe manipulation device is unlikely to be viewed by other individuals. A bunion splint is a current foot pain relief product that is used only during sleep. This product is far too cumbersome to wear while the wearer is awake under footwear.
The field of toe manipulation devices includes U.S. Pat. No. 1,080,305 to Scholl, U.S. Pat. No. 1,163,490 to Weil, U.S. Pat. No. 1,624,171 to E. O. Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,413 to Bruel, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,603,212 to Zeve. The inventive subject matter of these patents are all devices that are inserted between toes to provide spacing between toes that results in the correct position of the toes under the wearer's footwear. These five patents provide for devices that are not attached to the wearer's feet, and as such, are not intended to be used while the wearer is asleep. Even when used while the wearer is awake, these devices can become dislodged and thus are rendered useless because these devices are not attached to the wearer's toes. Additionally, these patents cover devices that are restricted to simply separating, rather than separating and/or stretching, the wearer's toes.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 2,506,308 to Maynier, U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,263 to Funatogawa, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,357 to Kawaguchi, et al. provide for devices that stretch most, if not all, of the wearer's toes. These devices can only be used while the wearer is not wearing footwear. They are far too cumbersome to be worn during sleep or under footwear while the wearer is awake. These devices are also limited to general foot and toe health improvement reached through stretching toes, not specific toe-related foot ailments that require focused direct attention.
U.S. Pat. No. 892,412 to E. S. Farra, U.S. Pat. No. 1,373,211 to F. T. Tanner, U.S. Pat. No. 1,785,185 to J. C. Day, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,964 to Farino, et al. provide for devices that are focused solely on correcting the position of the big toe. These devices are inflexible in terms of providing any spacing and/or stretching to any other toes of the foot. Except for the Farino, et al. inventive subject matter, these devices are also not reversible.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,997 to B. M. Baltor and U.S. Pat. No. 2,949,112 to A. E. Murray provide for devices that are intended to straighten or position, not stretch, the wearer's toes. These devices attach to all toes, and consequently, do not allow for any targeted relief to specific toes of a wearer's feet. Additionally, any device that attaches to all toes is more likely to become dislodged while the wearer sleeps than a device that attaches securely to one toe and rests in between two toes. As these devices are not intended to stretch any toes, they do not provide any sizing capabilities for desired spacing and/or stretching between toes.
None of the aforementioned prior art describe a reversible toe manipulation device constructed form that: 1. Has a shaped pliable material that is adjustable to enable varying degrees of separation, 2. Stays attached to the wearer's toes while the wearer is awake, wearing footwear or not, or asleep, and does not produce discomfort while the wearer is awake or asleep, and 3. Is capable of separating and/or stretching between any toes of a typical five-digit foot.